In this season when we celebrate our independence as a country, remember what it means to live in interdependence. Interdependence is the form of communal life taught by Jesus and Paul. It is not dependence writ large – it is the joy and power we know in using one another’s gifts in trusting relationship. It is healing. It works in recovery groups where each one shares story and wisdom. In those moments, God can touch us. We can find healing that we could never get all by ourselves, and experience the truth that our lives are not exclusively of our own contrivance and governance. Real strength is not always something we pull from within, but comes from acknowledging that we need others. We must remember this as a nation, too. The solution to every other nation’s needs is not solely in our hands.
Paul preached interdependence to the Galatians, that life is not about how strong or “right” you are. It is about how deeply and humbly you can bear one another’s burdens, and in this way … fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). The purpose of life is to rejoice in being interdependent. So…whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all. (6:10)
In peace, grace, and joyful interdependence,
Pastor Carol
